Defense shines, Offense struggles in loss to Panthers

The Buffalo Bills and their fans marched in to Bank of America Stadium and delivered a punch directly to the gut of the Carolina Panthers. Although the Panthers are now 2-0 through the first two weeks, their offense has struggled significantly but they were able to pull away with wins because of their lockdown defense. "There were certainly some things we could've done better and we didn't get it done".

While it's not surprising to hear McDermott rave about a defense which he helped build, his comments should actually give the Bills reason for hope.

The Panthers will host divisional rivals New Orleans Saints next Sunday during Week 3. As it turns out, it wasn't so hard to decipher. Can they disrupt Lesean McCoy and the Bills on run plays before he gets a head of steam? Swarm the Panthers' first round rookie at the expense of leaving other areas of the field vulnerable. "We didn't execute. The consistency, you watch play after play, you know, one play we're doing well, one play we're not". "I have all the trust and confidence and belief in these guys". Which takes us to step two. Getting to a much more mobile quarterback in Cam Newton without letting him escape the pocket was paramount in week two. Olsen's lengthy absence leaves Ed Dickson as the top tight end in Carolina, though the team's wideouts and running backs will probably be the more relevant beneficiaries in terms of taking on additional touches and targets.

It's obvious they won't quit under coach Sean McDermott. Cam was sacked six times on Sunday after not being sacked at all in week one. Given an opening, the Bills nearly stunned Carolina, but Tyrod Taylor's long, fourth-down pass drifted just over wide receiverZay Jones's fingertips at the goal line.